On Decemner 14, 60+ Club for Healthy and Active Life at Mirza Gelovani Youth Library hosted the Intergenerational Dialogue on Human Rights. The event dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was jointly held by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia and the Union of Tbilisi Municipality Multifunctional Libraries, with the support of the European Union.
Vladimir Shkolnikov, Senior Advisor for the South Caucasus Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Nutsi Odisharia, Social Policy Officer at the UNFPA Country Office in Georgia, Evija Kotan, Deputy Head of Political, Press, and Information Section at the EU Delegation to Georgia, Tamar Gvaramadze, First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, and Nino Macharashvili, Director of the Union of Tbilisi Municipality Multifunctional Libraries addressed participants of the meeting.
Populations across Europe and Central Asia are ageing rapidly. According to the United Nations Population Division (UNPD), the share of the Georgian population aged 65 years and above is projected to grow from 14% in 2015 to over 19% in 2030. These demographic changes call for introducing policies to respond to, and manage population ageing, and find new ways of creating societies for all ages that foster the inclusion of older people and realise the longevity dividend.
Given the context, representatives of younger and older generations, as well as other participants of the meeting, discussed ways to ensure inclusiveness, the efforts necessary to collectively tackle ageism, discrimination and abuse that older persons may face, and the policies and practices to ensure healthy and active ageing with dignity.
In a world where older persons often face challenges in bringing their voices to the forefront of public discourse, Intergenerational Dialogue on Human Rights is a compelling opportunity to explore insights from both the younger and older generations. One of the important ways to protect the rights of older people is to create opportunities for them to express their views and interests in order to influence the policy planning and decision-making processes.
